Peace, with just a slice of Troublemaking
by Mimi-Kiki-Dits
Summary: AU, no Zodiac curse. In a small town, Tohru has never had much excitement or drama. But when her mother is hit by a car, she breaks up with her boyfriend, Yuki, and moves with her grandfather to Kyoko's birth town. She has lived there for 2 years, and she has new friends, a new life, and a new boyfriend, Momiji. She is happy, and she can almost forget about the past. Almost.


Tohru sat in her desk chair, whistling to a tune playing inside her head.

She drummed her fingers on the desk, looking around the classroom for some of her friends. Unfortunately, she was the first member in her group of friends to finish the test. High school was so much harder than middle school, and the tests were brutal and hard.

She had studied all night long, and her mother had let her sleep in, leaving for work without waking the slumbering teenager.

Her mother was a single parent, and her father's family was completely alienated from her. Fortunately, she had managed to make ends meet, and the little, 2 person family were happy eating rice balls alone in the kitchen.

Tohru heard the classroom phone ring, and she closed her eyes, blowing a tuft of chestnut colored hair out of her face.

Tohru was, in most means, very pretty. Although she was a bit of an airhead, she was gifted in the looks department.

With azure eyes, chestnut hair, and natural svelteness, she was a real looker.

Speaking of looks, Tohru shot a glance up at the wall clock. The test was almost over.

Tohru hoped that she had done well on the test, and her brain had absorbed some of the information.

Her teacher, a tall, slender woman in her mid thirties, walked into the classroom, after being called by security.

Tohru pitied the person who would be called into the hall, for it could only mean bad news.

The teacher walked towards Tohru, teetering on her thin, red, snake-skin stilettos.

"Miss Honda?" She had finally reached her destination, aka Tohru's desk.

Tohru smiled politely, replying with a curt nod.

_She's an up-talker... _Tohru noticed, her smile frozen on her face.

"Can you come out here for a minute?" The teacher teetered away, beckoning for Tohru to follow. Tohru rose, her nails digging into her skin.

_What if mom can't pay for tuition? What if I get kicked out of school?_

Tohru shook her head, mentally scolding herself.

It probably wasn't anything major, maybe just late homework or something.

She walked dutifully towards the door of the classroom, and closing it when she finally exited the room.

She saw a security guard standing next to her teacher. She couldn't understand why they both looked so sympathetic. Maybe she _had _gotten kicked out of school.

Tohru shuddered at the thought.

The guard spoke quietly, and his voice was quite soft. It was ironic, because he was a huge man, burly and bearded.

"It concerns your mother," He said, speaking slowly.

Tohru felt her stomach drop.

She had forgotten to tell her mother to stay safe.

She _always _told her mother to stay safe.

The man continued, apparently oblivious to Tohru's growing concern.

"She was in an accident, and, unfortunately, she passed away along with the driver."

Tohru almost laughed.

It was obvious that her mother had organized a prank, and her friends were playing the teacher.

She waited for them to come out, to tell her that they had gotten her this time.

They never came.

The full extent of the situation sunk in, and suddenly it wasn't so funny anymore.

Tohru put her hands on her cheek, and pulled away, feeling the moistness.

She sunk to the floor, her hands on her head.

And then, she cried.

Tears cascaded down her cheeks, hands banging on the floor.

The guard bent down, rubbing her back.

He helped her up, and handed her a kleenex.

A few moments later, she walked into the classroom, her eyes were red and puffy.

The students, who had just finished their tests, nudged each other, murmuring about why Tohru, who was forever the optimist, was crying.

Yuki, her boyfriend, rose and jogged over to her.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, looking concerned.

Tohru choked back a sob.

"M-my mother... she, she got h-hit with a car. She... she..."

Tohru couldn't finish the sentence, but fortunately Yuki could put everything together.

He stroked her hair, and turned to face the other students.

"What's wrong?" Minami, a friend of Tohru's, asked.

Yuki sighed sadly.

"Her mother, she was in a car crash. She passed."

Everyone crowded around the girl, each comforting the sweet girl.

Tohru, who was grateful to everyone's efforts, smiled through tears.

"I-I'm okay." She said shakily.

"Thank you, everyone!" She smiled, but every passing second helped turning her smile back into a frown.

Soon after, the bell rang, and everyone was dismissed.

After school, when everyone was gone, she met up with Yuki.

It was their special place, a small, rickety wooden swing set.

The flowers grew in small clumps, sticking together in bunches of purple and pink.

Yuki sat in the swing next to hers, listening to her explanation.

After a few seconds in silence, he spoke.

"So, you're moving... We can stay together, I know we can!" Yuki looked hopeful, and Tohru felt horrible letting him down.

But, it had to be done.

She had to break up with him.

It would be so cruel to stay with him, to torture him with long car drives back and forth from the two towns.

She would never go back, never see her beloved town again.

It was too painful.

She just couldn't handle it.

Tohru shook her head, smiling sadly.

"No, we can't. It's not you, it's me. It's... too painful."

Tohru winced as Yuki's expression dropped, but she knew she had done what she was supposed to do.

Yuki sighed.

"I'll miss you, Tohru. I love you. Always remember that. If you're ever lonely..." He looked off into some spot in the distance.

"I'll be waiting." He finished, looking into her eyes.

* * *

That night, she moved into her grandfather's house.

The next day, they moved into a small town, far away from all the bad memories.

She went to a new school, and even though she had to break up with Yuki, she was happy.

She even found a new boyfriend named Momiji, who was one year older than her.

She was happy.

She almost forgot about the past.

_Almost_.


End file.
